That's amaro
The old-school Italian herbal liqueur is making splashes in NYC.
Is bitter the new black? Or at least the new transparent reddish-brown? We're talking about an old-school herbal liqueur known all over Italy as amaro (more than one, they're amari), and it's been popping up more and more around the city.
No two are alike, so a sip of one coffee-colored elixir may
taste of rhubarb, cinnamon and Sicilian orange peels, while another
invokes the sweetness of cola with a peppermint-and-licorice
aftertaste. All flavored differently, but each with the same syrupy
base—bitter and sweet, never cloying—and with an alcohol content
that goes as high as 35 percent.
In the old world, amari have a long history. Herbs,
flowers, tree bark and roots were soaked in and distilled with
neutral spirits in monasteries or pharmacies to create herbal
tonics used for digestive and healing purposes. (Where do you think
Albert Trummer got his inspiration for
Apothéke?) Although the development of modern
medicine reduced amaro's role as a home remedy, the elixir found a new home on
restaurant menus as a digestif—a drink served at the end of the
meal to aid in digestion.
Now, New Yorkers are catching on: High-profile restaurateurs,
like Jimmy Bradley (of The Red Cat and
The Harrison), have even started their own
amaro cellars, collecting bottles made from everything
from anise to angelica, menthol to mint, cardamom to wormwood. One
collector, Levi Dalton, the wine and beverage director at
Convivio, has traveled all over Italy sampling
amari to find the best ones to serve at his
restaurant.
"Traditionally, amaro is served straight up or on the
rocks with tonic water," Dalton explains. "But it's
fun to experiment with new ways of mixing it, which is why
you're seeing its popularity grow"—especially among
creative bartenders. And because each amaro is different,
made from whatever was abundant in that specific region of Italy,
whether it be fennel, chestnuts, walnuts or ginger, the
possibilities are vast. For instance, Brown adds the Superpunch
amaro to coffee, "and now we even make a Superpunch
gelato."
Convivio boasts a selection of 23 amari—by far one of the
largest offerings in the city. And the list continues to grow, as
Dalton continues to collect. "We have an obsession for all
things vintage, and amaro is no different," he says.
"They speak of a time past. Most are still made using original
14th-century recipes."
Not to mention another perk: "The bottles are so attractive, too," Dalton cracks. "They really look great on a bar."
(Pictured: The Autunno at Centro Vinoteca)
